National Cattle Dog Championships Open Up Near Blockton

The National Cattle Dog Championships opened up Thursday between Blockton and Redding. Contestants use dog whistles and commands to direct border collies which herd three cattle through a series of obstacles and into a cattle trailer before time runs out. People from as far away as Washington and Texas were competing. While nothing is written in stone yet, the National Cattle Dog Association people said that there were some good things about having it near Blockton and that they were looking at it in the future.

The event drew regional attention with the Omaha World Herald doing a story and a photo album on their website and Creston Radio coming and doing a piece on it. There are certain rules that contestants must follow; there is a crows nest where a referee blows a trumpet if a contestant violates the rules, the cattle go out of bounds, or the constestant times out.

There were plenty of other things to do as well. There were a couple of sheds in which there were food stands by local organizations. There were two antique cars on display; one was a perfect replica of the Dukes of Hazzard car from the 1970's; there was also a 1975 Chevy Camaro which was originally sold new for just over $5,000. Wesley Dorsett of Mount Ayr was showing a handcrafted horse wagon. He made it himself and used hickory and oak to make it. He is going into partnership with Dave Inoles and they are running Southern Iowa Wagon Works out of Mount Ayr. The Dave Wiley Band provided musical entertainment.

The National Cattle Dog Finals are an event in which anyone can win and anyone can run into trouble. Bob Johnson of Tingley, the defending champion in the Nursery Division (3 years old and up) ran into trouble when he entered the open division and the cattle his dog "Ruby" were trying to herd ran away and did not cooperate and ran out of bounds. That is something that is a normal part of the game. Another challenge is getting the cattle reunited after being separated; there were times when one of the cattle got separated and ran off from the other two and the dog had to chase the stray cow back with the rest of the herd; sometimes it happens when one of the cows sees the hole in the chute and jumps out.

Among local people in attendance were Ken Smith, Terry Green, Andy Welch and two of his children, and Bobbi Bainum. Among local organizations selling food and other goods were the Sunshine Workers 4-H Club, the Mount Ayr Legion, Comer's, and the Blockton Booster Club. There was a stand where there was literature about border collies and their proper care. There was a shuttle service on golf carts between the parking and the stand.

The event was a four day event that ran from Thursday to Sunday.